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Cheapest but still efficient PC

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RockNRollNghtClb
Posts: 2013 - Karma: 2,509
Im looking to buy/build a PC to solely run Adobe programs on for editing and i want to Know the cheapest way I could do it but with it still being efficient. Does anyone know of the specifications youd think Id need? I would say i would need 8gb of ram and I really dont know too much about the rest hah.
Feb 18 2013 3:17PM
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RockNRollNghtClb
Posts: 2013 - Karma: 2,509
a desktop by the way if anyone didnt know*
and I would love to not spend more than 400 if that is even possible (I dont need a monitor)
Feb 18 2013 3:19PM
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1337
Posts: 31059 - Karma: 29,314
$400? probably not possible, sorry
Feb 18 2013 3:24PM
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RawrRawrRob
Posts: 1841 - Karma: 685
I'd say quad core i5, 2-3 GHz, 8GB of RAM, and 1GB Video Card
Feb 18 2013 4:04PM
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Mitchell.
Posts: 1650 - Karma: 630
It would be a strech, but you can could edit video with this. I know for a fact the g680 proccesors tear shit up. Will it be like your running an i7, no, but you can edit video with this pretty damn smooth too. I would add a boot SSD for $60, keep your OS and video editing software on it, and you will have a pretty good budget system. Now when you've got more mony, upgrade your processor, then add another 8GB of ram, add some better fans, switch your power supply, and update your video card (in that order preferably) and you've got a very solid rig.
Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price 1

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Athena Power CA-GSB01DA Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
Item #:N82E16811192289
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$29.99
$22.99

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MSI Z77A-G41 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Item #:N82E16813130653
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$99.99
$94.99

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Refurbished: Seagate NL35 500GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #:N82E16822148849
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy

$95.99
$43.99

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G.SKILL Value 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
Item #:N82E16820231636
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy

$41.99

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Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz LGA 1155 Dual-Core Desktop Processor
Item #:N82E16819116405
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy

$69.99

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RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-530SS 530W Modular Power Supply, New Version with Build-in LED Fan On/Off Switch
Item #:N82E16817152028
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$54.99
$45.99

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ASUS GeForce GT 640 GT640-2GD3 Video Card
Item #:N82E16814121643
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy

$99.99

Click for larger image Grand Total: $419.93
Feb 18 2013 5:17PM
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vandersteeze
Posts: 2650 - Karma: 1,511
or buy used?
Feb 18 2013 6:05PM
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eheath
Posts: 61645 - Karma: 123,447
Bump that up to 600 and you open up even more and 800 dude you could have an insane computer.
Feb 18 2013 7:07PM
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eheath
Posts: 61645 - Karma: 123,447
check out www.cyberpowerpc.com i bought my computer from them and you can customize your own tower.

do the i5-3570k
8gb ram
gtx650
600w power
whatever HD setup you want, id day sdd + 500gb drive but you might need to just do 500gb drive fort now
add a wireless internet card

this is all 695 without an OS (easy to torrent windows 7 activated and put on a disk and install)

lots of possibilities if you boost your budget, $400 is just tough to work with.
Feb 18 2013 8:41PM
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1337
Posts: 31059 - Karma: 29,314
sorry, this is a terrible build
Feb 18 2013 10:24PM
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Mitchell.
Posts: 1650 - Karma: 630
But its also within his budget requirements. Thats all I was trying to do, didn't even really look at specs, just compatibility and broad specs (LGA1155, 3.0Ghz, 8GB, 500GB, 500+ Watts etc.) just a real baseline build I whipped together to show him options/possibilities.
Feb 18 2013 10:44PM
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1337
Posts: 31059 - Karma: 29,314
Hopefully he realizes that he needs to save more money for a decent machine, it would be a waste imo
Feb 18 2013 11:17PM
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Mitchell.
Posts: 1650 - Karma: 630
I agree, but I did the same with $550, except had a plan. Bought it with what was easiest to upgrade in mind, I got a very nice motherboard, but a Pentium CPU, until I could afford the upgrade. But yeah a $400 budget you might as well buy some parts and build it later.
Feb 18 2013 11:19PM
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jeano
Posts: 333 - Karma: 104
honestly man, save up a few more pennies and you could get a killer setup thatll last you quite a while

no point in building a shitty computer
Feb 19 2013 1:13PM
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.qzyxya
Posts: 1479 - Karma: -26
For hard drive I'd get a segate 7200.14 drive. Its super fast (look up some reviews, goes up almost to 200mb/s) and you can get a 3tb version for only $120 ish.
Also samsung 1.35v ram is really nice. Its just as cheap as any other ram (like the g skill) but you can overclock it a shitton (like 1866, 2133 etc) since it uses 1.35v instead of 1.5.
For graphics I'd definitely get a gtx 650 ti. Its got like 700 cuda cores and is $120 on newegg (With a ton of free game coupons which you can sell).

Save up to like 600 (or more) and it will be much better. $400 is not enough.

At micro center you can get a 3770k for $230 or a 3570k for $180 or $190 (dont remember off hand), and you get $50 off the mobo i believe. You could get a 3770k, a 650 ti (2x as many cuda cores as the normal 650), a hard drive (or some more for scratch disk/media files/exports/etc) like the 7200.14 for $120, maybe 16gb of the samsung ram ($80, 2x $40), and then a cheap case and a power supply for under $100 for both. Together that would be like $6-700 and be sick.

But I would go on the adobe forums and/or overclock.net or tomshardware or some other computer site, you'd get a lot more info and advice. Also r/buildapc isnt bad.
Feb 19 2013 1:36PM
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--ski--
Posts: 1670 - Karma: 817
Never, and I mean never, skimp on the PSU. Only buy a trusted brand. Seasonic, Corsair etc.
Feb 19 2013 5:06PM
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Mitchell.
Posts: 1650 - Karma: 630
I wouldn't really consider the raidmax psu skimping, its on sale and maybe not the greatest but its got a lot of solid reviews


but yeah I agree, no point building a good system with a shitty psu to see it crash & burn.
Feb 19 2013 7:57PM
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--ski--
Posts: 1670 - Karma: 817
I would highly recommend against getting a 3TB drive. Hard drive manufacture's are having a horrible time building reliable disks with higher data densities needed for high capacity drives. The MTBF rates on those are astronomical. The only semi-reliable 3TB drives are 5400rpm drives, but that's not a very viable option to run as a primary drive.
Feb 19 2013 8:48PM
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griffaah
Posts: 163 - Karma: -13
newegg has some combos where you could start from and then upgrade that could save you some money.
Todays deal would actually work pretty well; you could put a big video card and a better power supply in it when you get some more money and then you could upgrade the ram later on.

They have these daily deals all the time if you check once in a while
Feb 19 2013 9:11PM
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